Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 111, Bobcats 81
- Sorry for no game thread post, blog people. I was a tad busy.
- The Hawks for the most part didn’t try to play down the significance of losing Al Horford to injury (not that they really could). But they regrouped and went out and beat down the Bobcats, who had shown some pluck against superior opponents this season.
- “We had a few lapses defensively but our energy level was high,” Larry Drew said. “That’s something we look for every game. When we play with that type of energy and get up the floor and fly around, we are a pretty good club. And tonight we were flying around.”
- The most encouraging thing for the Hawks was that they dominated the boards against a pretty good rebounding team with size. Josh Smith (13 rebounds), Zaza Pachulia (10) and Ivan Johnson (seven in 21 minutes) did their thing but the Hawks got production from unlikely guys: Vladimir Radmanovic had eight rebounds, Joe Johnson had seven, and Jeff Teague had six.
- Josh said that’s the kind of effort the Hawks need without Horford available to help him hold it down on the back line: “Defense, rebounding, help each other out, gang rebounding. Even the guards have to come in there and help out a little bit. Ivan has done a good job thus far with the toughness. I think everyone else needs to pick it up.”
- Scoring was a group effort, too. The Hawks recorded 29 assists on 42 field goals as all five starters had at least three assists. “We took care of the basketball, we executed very well and we moved the ball,” Drew said. “I thought we played overall a really solid game.”
- The Bobcats tried to push Josh around but he was beasting. He had four of Atlanta’s 20 offensive boards. Josh also made four of his nine shots from outside of the paint while going 14 for 22.
- The Bobcats sent Tyrus Thomas at Joe with predictable results. Only a 2 for 8 night from the 3-point line prevented Joe from really going off. As it was, he got to the line for eight attempts (and made seven).
- Ivan (12 points on 9 shots, six fouls) isn’t polished but he’s athletic, energetic and physical. That is going to come in handy as the Hawks try to win ugly.
- Drew hadn’t decided on the starting center an hour before the game. He settled on Zaza but didn’t commit to it long term. I’m thinking that probably means Drew will use the “big” lineup when appropriate.
- “We will just kind of look at our opponent and look at the matchup and see what works best for us,” Drew said. “I was a little concerned because [Byron] Mullens plays like more of a four. He’s a pick-and-pop guy and forced Zaza on the perimeter a lot more but I thought Zaza adapted really well.”
- Ivan Johnson played center in spots but Drew said he’s “not necessarily” the backup center. Jason Collins didn’t see the court until garbage time.
- If the Hawks really are still trying to make the playoffs, I don’t see how they can make do without another veteran center. They have two guards who don’t see regular minutes and are using an undersized rookie at center. There don’t appear to be any good trade possibilities for Atlanta, at least not until Kirk Hinrich is healthy and his expiring contract might somehow fetch an effective big.
- Rick Sund: “The center position has some decent depth to it with Al and Zaza and Twin and we really wanted to add some toughness, and that’s why Ivan Johnson has been a nice plus for us. We’ll sit down and discuss everyything. No real decision tonight.”
- Drew said Tracy McGrady is scheduled to see a back specialist tomorrow and could play Saturday against the T-Wolves. Marvin Williams (ankle) is day-to-day. “I don’t know when he will be back to play,” Drew said of Marvin. “He was in here earlier and said he’s feeling good so hopefully he will be back soon.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
379 comments Add your comment
KevinM
January 13th, 2012
12:58 pm
Looking ahead to the offseason a bit….no matter what happens
Jeff vs. Marquis Teague so far this season…both are holding their own, and after hearing so long how much better Marquis is than Jeff, they are very similar:
JT – 6′2″ 181 -.45 FG% / .60 FT% / 5.5 APG / 1.92 TO / 2 ST / 11.7 PPG – 12 games
MT – 6′2″ 189 – .42 FG% / .70 FT% / 4.4 APG / 3.0 TO / 1 ST / 10.9 PPG – 17 games
I just want to put a bug in Sund’s ear to at least consider the option here…..that would give Marquis a chance to learn at the next level.
NBAdraft.net has current projection of Marquis at 18 and the Hawks slotted at 22.
It’s not like we have depth at the PG even with Hindrich coming back.
Melvin
January 13th, 2012
1:13 pm
Dwight scored 45pts while shooting 39 free throws. Not impressive..
Smith.Leuer.Bogut (two 7 footers for 1 tweener)
January 13th, 2012
1:21 pm
Damn, neither Vlad nor Smith can cover Love. And I think Smith could easily have his hands full with a developing Derrick Williams.
SF inside – Josh Smith vs Derrick Williams (experience advantage lol we’ll see)
PF outside – Jon Leuer vs Kevin Love (7′0 Leuer would mitigate things)
C inside – Andrew Bogut vs Darko Milicic (advantage hawks)
instead we’ll have to stick Smith on everyone and hope Vlad can hide somewhere. And Pachulia vs Milicic… ugh.
Smith.Leuer.Bogut (two 7 footers for 1 tweener)
January 13th, 2012
1:23 pm
Given our luck Milicic will go for 20. Or Derrick Williams will put Smith and/or Vlad on a poster in a blowout. Or maybe gamewinning dunk in a close game.
Rubio vs Teague…sigh we’ll see. But Love is going to come out guns firing.
Smith.Leuer.Bogut (two 7 footers for 1 tweener)
January 13th, 2012
1:32 pm
Sekou using the word fool a lot. He wrote the Hawks off because they had not made any changes to the core.
But injuries have forced them to build around Smith’s flaws and strengths. They get Zaza’s size to help on the boards. And adapt from starting a 6′8 streak shooter and go to a 6′10 knockdown “for real, for real” shooter that helps spacing.
Josh might be a tweener but this team is the best he’s ever had for accentuating his positives. Despite Vlad not being able to box out or defend his size still occasionally an asset on defense the glass Smith still gets more transition buckets and we can spread the floor.
Marvin must come off the bench.
DS
January 13th, 2012
1:32 pm
Smith.Leuer.Bogut are you even a Hawks fan?? Go back to Milwakee with your 7 footers.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 13th, 2012
1:48 pm
Flavor Flav it’s not like your Al for Bogut trade is that unfair for both sides but I swear to God you have Jon Leuer on your mind more than his own mother does.
Just Joe
January 13th, 2012
1:53 pm
KevinM…count me in as a fan of the idea of having both Teague boys on the team together, but mostly I’m hoping we take the best talent available. With no changes, we’ll only have 6 players under contract going in to the draft (Teague, Joe, Marvin, Josh, Al & Pachulia). We’ll have a lot of needs to fill.
drmaryb.[*_*].
January 13th, 2012
1:57 pm
TMac’s Back!
“Back spasms occur when a muscle is torn, strained or overworked. ” -crazy 88-
___________
Stick to blogging. This statement is incorrect on many levels.
SteveW
January 13th, 2012
2:08 pm
SLB – I think Hakeem may be the biggest disparity I’ve ever heard – He was listed at 7-0 for years, then 6-11 for a few years, then 6-10. I’ve heard many people who knew him and played against him say no way he was any bigger than 6-8 235. Big heart. He had all the “immeasurables” like being a rock immovable object on the low post, great timing on challenging shots – basketball smarts off the charts, played when hurting really bad. What a player!
And I third the Marquis Teague on the Hawks deal. He’s 5 years younger than Jeff, so he, Jeff, and JJ would make a very good 3 G rotation going forward.
Chris Daniels may be worth a shot…
SteveW
January 13th, 2012
2:10 pm
Bogut got totally dismantled by Monroe – 10 points and like 4 boards for Bogut. 32 points and a bunch or boards for Monroe.
Smith.Leuer.Bogut (two 7 footers for 1 tweener)
January 13th, 2012
2:27 pm
wow crazy Bogut’s career high last year was 27. well at least his team won.
Guess I should see that game I’ll try to download it.
Hmmmm
January 13th, 2012
2:30 pm
GOT ME WONDERING WHO REALLY KNOWS BBALL AND WHO IS JUST TALKING. THE HAWKS SUCCEED BECAUSE THEY HAVE TWO ATHLETIC BIGS WHO CAN RUN THE FLOOR, PASS, SCORE, DEFEND, REBOUND AND UNTIL NOW BOTH STAYED HEALTHY. IT’S ONE THING TO WANT THEM TO STEP THEIR GAME UP BUT THE WAY SOME OF YALL JUST THINK SOME BUM WHO ISN’T EVEN IN THE LEAGUE NOW CAN REPLACE WHAT AL OR JOSH DO FOR THIS TEAM IS INSANITY LOL.
NO OTHER TEAM IN THE LEAGUE HAS TWO STARTING BIGS THIS VERSATILE AND WE JUST LOST ONE OF EM. IT ISN’T ABOUT WHO LOVES AL OR JOSH OR WHATEVER, THAT’S ALL FUN AND GAMES BUT YALL TAKE IT TOO SERIOUS. THEY NEED BOTH IN ORDER TO CONTEND. HOPEFULLY LARRY AUERBACH CAN KEEP THEM AFLOAT TIL EVERYONE’S BACK BUT DON’T DISMISS HOW IMPORTANCE BOTH OF THESE DUDES ARE. JUST STOP WITH THE LONG TWO AND WE GOOD, JOSH. LOL
Smith.Leuer.Bogut (two 7 footers for 1 tweener)
January 13th, 2012
2:32 pm
Well, maybe not. I’m looking at the highlights. And Bogut is not even guarding Monroe when he’s scoring.
He’s quicker than Bogut and Monroe could be a nice PF if his jumper continues to improve but he was scoring on long but skinny Sanders and short Ilyasova.
Hmmmm
January 13th, 2012
2:36 pm
BEST THING THE HAWKS HAVE GOING FOR THEM IS THAT THEY PLAY IN THE EAST, SO THE ONLY THREAT TO THEM MISSING THE PLAYOFFS SHOULD BE MILWAUKEE. SKILES IS A BULLDOG AND WILL HAVE HIS GUYS FIGHTING ALL YEAR, BUT I STILL THINK THE HAWKS HAVE THE BETTER TEAM, SO IF/WHEN AL RETURNS IT’S ALL ABOUT HOW THEY INCORPORATE HIM BACK INTO THE ROTATION. BUT AT LEAST WE’LL GET TO SEE WHAT JOSH AND TEAGUE ARE MADE OF.
GO HAWKS AND FIRE SUND LOL
Smith.Leuer.Bogut (two 7 footers for 1 tweener)
January 13th, 2012
2:39 pm
Josh and Horford are redundant.
The offense is smoother with Smith inside creating havoc, a tall shooter outside PF and a center.
Horford said himself he’s obviously not best suited at center. Lo’ and behold… But is he an outside PF?
So how can both he and Smith succeed? Unless Al stays at center, how can both succeed if they play the same inside position on offense?
Caps locks be damned. Smith and Horford don’t complement each other. One needs a big shooting PF and center. That is SMith.
Smith
Leuer, Vlad
Bogut, Pachulia
One needs a center and a shooting small Forward. And one of them needs to be a superstar scorer to accentuate his passing, that is Al.
Granger, Durant, Pierce
Horford
Dwight
Smith.Leuer.Bogut (two 7 footers for 1 tweener)
January 13th, 2012
2:43 pm
and I think the Ivan inside, Smith outside taking jumpers lineup will fail sooner than later.
Grandad
January 13th, 2012
2:44 pm
SteveW;
sorry to dispute, Hakeem true 6-10.
*[yes - listed @ 7-0 sometimes at 7-1]
{still 6-10 = accurate}
Hmmmm
January 13th, 2012
2:50 pm
IT’S NO COINCIDENCE THAT ATLANTA MADE THE PLAYOFF ONCE AL WAS DRAFTED. WHEN THEY BOTH PLAY TO THEIR STRENGTHS, THEY COMPLEMENT EACH OTHERS SKILL SET.
THEY WON 50 GAMES A FEW YEARS AGO WITH JOSH AND AL.
THEY’VE MADE THE SECOND ROUND 3 STRAIGHT YRS WITH JOSH AND AL.
THE REASONS WHY THE HAWKS HAVEN’T GONE FURTHER TIL NOW ARE (1) WEAK COACHING, (2) LACK OF A PG WHO CAN STAY IN FRONT OF ANYBODY AND PUSH THE PACE/TEMPO TO GET THE MOST FROM AL AND JOSH, (3) NOT ENOUGH CONSISTENT PRODUCTION FROM SF POSITION, AND (4) LACK OF DEPTH/NO BENCH.
JOSH AND AL WILL WORK IF YOU HAVE THE SURROUNDING PIECES AND RIGHT COACH TO MAXIMIZE IT.
Melvin
January 13th, 2012
2:56 pm
Smith.Leuer.Bogut,
There may be a reason with Bogut was not playing Monroe. Maybe b/c it was a bad matchup for him. Monroe is slightly taller than Horford. So if the Bucks can’t rely on Bogut (or Leuer) to guard Monroe (a slightly undersize center) than whom can they guard in the playoffs? Besides I don’t see your obsession with these guys when they are starters on a losing team with decent talent.
Hmmmm
January 13th, 2012
2:59 pm
http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2012/01/13/hawks-future-shaky-without-al-horford/
“…the single most important reason the Hawks have been one of the last eight teams remaining in the playoffs every year since 2008 is this: They have two dynamic, fast, versatile big men who contribute on offense, defense and on the boards.
One of those two men — Al Horford — is out for the balance of the regular season , and given the burden the Horford/Josh Smith duo carries on both ends, it will be interesting to see whether this is the kind of injury that has a larger trickle-down impact than we might anticipate.
…
Horford isn’t blameless when it comes to the fact that his numbers are down. Coaching and shot selection have contributed, but Horford still hasn’t developed an efficient post game that would make him a more consistent go-to player on offense. Still, he’s one of the game’s best pick-and-pop threats, and the combination of his jumper, screening ability and passing — elite for a big man — has helped Atlanta’s slow-poke offensive flow. That’s what Atlanta coach Larry Drew means when he refers to Horford as the teams’ “glue guy.”
He’s also talking about defense, where Smith and Horford are used to keeping the Hawks afloat with their combination of quickness, size and smarts. Go through all 30 NBA teams and ask yourself how many have two starting big men they can peg as very good contributors on both ends — two guys who don’t hurt your spacing, rebounding, passing, pick-and-roll coverage or any other key aspect of the game. There aren’t many. Horford can defend the pick-and-roll in lots of different ways depending on the opponent. He ranked as one of the league’s very best defenders last season, per Synergy Sports, and he’s among the top bigs when it comes to jumping out on point guards (or sliding along with them above the foul line) and retreating to cover a big man on pick-and-rolls. He and Smith can switch onto smaller players, and they are both good rebounders.”
SteveW
January 13th, 2012
3:18 pm
Grandad – I know, that’s what’s listed, and maybe even what’s official. I ‘m just repeating what others have said about him. Been awhile, wish I could find the quotes. People who were there said 6-8 235 tops – but maybe they were exaggerating downwards, I dunno. I do remember watching him play at the time he looked comparitevily short to me.
They say Gasol is the opposite. 7-1 officially measured. But I’ve heard people who interview him in the locker room, and have alot of others around to compare him to, say he’s 7-3 legit. Again, I dunno, just listening to player/journalist chatter over the course of time.
SteveW
January 13th, 2012
3:20 pm
Melvin – Was about to make a similar point – you beat me to it
SteveW
January 13th, 2012
3:27 pm
SLB – This from Bucksbasketball.com about last nite:
“Again, Bogut is always useful, but Greg Monroe was really giving him trouble on both ends Thursday. He had Bogut scared of his short jumper, he stood him up on defense and even blocked one of his short hooks. Monroe is such a sound offensive player, but 32 and 16 seems like another level for him, whether Bogut was tired or not. He’s always been a very good passer and he was authoritative as a scorer Thursday. He’ll be fun to watch develop.”
Yep, a ton of Monroe’s damage was against Bogut
Rufus1
January 13th, 2012
3:36 pm
@Hmmmm
It is hard for some PPL to understand the TOTAL VALUE of a players(offense and defense)
Their is a reason he is so love by coaches around the league.
O'Brien
January 13th, 2012
3:52 pm
2 good games tonight. Bulls-Celtics, Heat-Nuggets.
Smith.Leuer.Bogut (two 7 footers for 1 tweener)
January 13th, 2012
3:53 pm
O’Brien you said there were 2 good games tonight. Are you gonna list them?
typrather@yahoo.com
January 13th, 2012
3:57 pm
Hawks will only be stronger…
Upon the return of TMac and Marvin…
- we knew TMac minutes need monitoring, no surprise here…
- Marvin is one of the most fundamentally sound players in NBA…
- Vladi Dodi is one of the most inconsistent players in the NBA…
- The sum of the parts will make the whole better…
Bigman needed
January 13th, 2012
3:57 pm
Bucks will never trade Bogut, ever. He is their franchise center a #1 overall pick they took over kevin durant and horford. Bucks trying to get in playoffs. Bogut is extremely knack prone and does nor mesh with hawks high flying style.
Kaman and okafor are better options. One or the two are available. Kaman is definitely on the block ad he is on an expiring deal and will not resign. I just don’t see the hawks being able to beat out the numerous suitors for kaman’s services. The hawks dont have the draft picks to offer nor should they for a rental. But anything is possible.
Okafor makes sense. Hornets want to unload his hefty contract and get more explosive and dont nee another center because of kaman. We can give them heinrich expiring + zaza or marvin + zaza. The salary works and it makes sense for both teams. And when al comes back we will be able to physically and athletically dominate in front court.
Injury could also be a positive if josh turns into a superstar 20 point scorer, which henis showing signs of doing.
drmaryb.[*_*].
January 13th, 2012
4:09 pm
Hmmmm … Thanks for feeding the blog with those excerpts from that si.com article. It’s always nice to hear an objective outside opinion. Keep it coming.
drmaryb.[*_*].
January 13th, 2012
4:17 pm
Factual is Actual!
“Bucks will never trade Bogut, ever. He is their franchise center a #1 overall pick they took over kevin durant and horford.”
___________
This is NOT a true fact, Oden was taken over Durant. So, this actually never happened.
Rod from College Park
January 13th, 2012
4:23 pm
“- Marvin is one of the most fundamentally sound players in NBA…”
I hope this is a joke.
Ra'mon
January 13th, 2012
4:24 pm
Bigman, Bogut, Horford, and Durant, didn’t come out the same season. You’re thinking of Oden. Bogut was the number one pick over Marvin, CP3, and DWill.
drmaryb.[*_*].
January 13th, 2012
4:26 pm
20 Point Shooter!
“Injury could also be a positive if josh turns into a superstar 20 point scorer, which henis showing signs of doing.”
-Bigman-
__________
If you replaced the “h” in henis with a “p”, you might be onto something. At least we agree that Josh is not shooting blanks. Between that and, Milwaukee taking Bogut #1 over Durant and Horford, you sir, are on a tootsie roll today.
Ra'mon
January 13th, 2012
4:27 pm
With TMac and Marvin, it almost feel like I’m watching my son play in the streets. Because every single time they fall on the floor, I gasp that they just may not get up this time.
Dept. Of Unintended Irony
January 13th, 2012
4:29 pm
“Josh and Horford are redundant.”
LOL. like posting the same trade that will never happen 20 times a day, isn’t?
You certainly should know redundancy when you see it.
Sautee
January 13th, 2012
4:34 pm
Rod,
Yeah, man. There goes the old credibility, eh?
Adam
January 13th, 2012
4:47 pm
Can we play New Jersey or Charlotte every night ???
drmaryb.[*_*].
January 13th, 2012
4:53 pm
Gang Blocking!
What IF Josh and Jeff started gang blocking, with Josh on the front side and Jeff swoops in like the back yard Bat Man to swat some shots away. I say this because, I have seen Jeff deliver some nice blocks on guards.
Jeff has been reminiscent of DWade at times. Just saying.
Josh
January 13th, 2012
4:55 pm
Can’t wait until Marvin “Mr Fundamental” Williams comes back……bahahaha !
The Truth
January 13th, 2012
5:00 pm
DOUI
4:29 pm post
LOL
Bigman needed
January 13th, 2012
5:16 pm
My mistake on who bogut was taken over in draft, but the bottom line is he will not be traded because milwaukee have too much invested, waited too long through injuries, to ship him out.
Sund and asg need to get a big man like okafor in here. Yes it will result in some tax, but we may get out of 2nd round with a true center in the mix!
Rufus1
January 13th, 2012
5:33 pm
Good article by Sekou..
http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2012/01/13/dont-write-the-hawks-off-just-yet/?ls=iref:nbahpt1
Hmmmm
January 13th, 2012
5:42 pm
RUFUS1,
YEP, AND WE AND THEY (COACHES) KNOW JOSH CAN BE A GREAT PLAYER, HE JUST HAS TO FOCUS AND PLAY TO HIS STRENGTHS.
DR MARY B,
NO PROBLEM. JUST DOING MY PART.
#Let'sGoHawks!
January 13th, 2012
6:14 pm
TRADE FOR BEIDRINS!! HAVE YOU SEEN HIS FG%? SHOOTING OVER 59% FOR HIS CAREER!!
Sautee
January 13th, 2012
7:14 pm
An empty room for an hour at nighttime. Sure is different when we win by 30.
Imagine how busy it would be tonight if we had LOST by 30.
Still hoping Sund makes a move.
Grandmaster JeJe
January 13th, 2012
7:19 pm
LD said he would talk to Sund in the next few days.
No.
Talk to him YESTERDAY WHEN HE GOT HURT. WE HAVE NO BIG DEPTH
FIRE LD
FIRE SUND
Bigman needed
January 13th, 2012
7:19 pm
I agree Sautee.
I think sund will make a move.
He made a serious run at d12 BEFORE Al went down.
Just Joe
January 13th, 2012
7:36 pm
Warriors act quickly. They sign Earl Barron.
Inya Hass
January 13th, 2012
7:43 pm
Hmmmm = Sautee
Sautee The hawks were going to the play offs with or with out horford the year he was drafted. In fact. Zaza was the starter the year Al ” free ride” Horford was drafted.
,